Man pleads guilty to police assault

KATHRYN KING

Last updated 07:44 30/01/2013

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A man who publicly criticised the use of Tasers has pleaded guilty to assaulting police where one was used against him.

Peter Randall Papa, 28, was sentenced to 100 hours' community work and disqualified from driving for 10 months by Judge Michael Behrens, QC, in the Palmerston North District Court on Monday. He admitted assaulting a police officer and driving with sustained loss of traction.

Police arrived at Papa's Pahiatua home on April 30 last year with a warrant for his arrest, two months after he was caught doing a burnout. At the time he had evaded police and all subsequent attempts to serve a summons on him.

Papa climbed out a back window and up a tree when he saw the police at his house.

Police eventually talked him down, but he ignored attempts to arrest him, pushing officers and throwing aside a police dog as he walked back into his house. One officer was shoved in the chest, falling to the ground and breaking his radio. Papa went into the house and locked the door.

At the time of the incident, Pahiatua Sergeant Jymahl Glassey said Papa was Tasered after confronting an officer who had entered the house.

A charge of resisting arrest relating to that incident was later dropped.